Monday, October 31, 2011

Red Velvet Brownies with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Brownies with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

I've been messing around with a red velvet brownie recipe for awhile. My daughter and I put our heads together and came up with one using a brownie mix quite some time ago, and I really liked it. In fact, I had to stop making it because I was eating it all by myself. Not a good situation. Actually, I was going to make them for work tomorrow (Halloween potluck), and then I got to thinking that maybe I should be making my brownies from scratch.

Let me just say that I'm not opposed to using cake and/or brownie mixes. I've won recipe contests using refrigerated cookie dough and dry cookie mix. I'm thinking that most people use them. They are convenient and sometimes cheaper (who hasn't stocked up on brownie mixes when they are on sale for $1?). Many times, I just can't seem to get the same consistency in a cake or a brownie than I can get from a mix. That said, most of the time I prefer the made-from-scratch versions. Today, I will give you both versions of my recipe. I will let you decide.

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.; line a 9X13 inch pan with
parchment paper, leaving an overhang on each side of the pan.

I found the coolest parchment paper--on one side non-stick foil and on the other side, parchment. It fits into the pan much easier...

Place the flour, baking soda, sugar, cocoa and salt in a
large mixing bowl and whisk together until well-combined; set aside.

In a separate, medium sized bowl, beat together the melted
butter, buttermilk, and eggs until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and the food
coloring.

Quickly bring eggs to room temperature by placing them in hot water for a few minutes.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix well
with a wooden spoon. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for
30-35 minutes, or until the top of the brownies are dry to the touch. Cool in
the pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing the brownies using the paper
overhang. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and the butter in a
medium bowl. Add the orange peel, vanilla, and the orange juice, blending until
smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat to desired consistency. Frost
cooled brownies; sprinkle walnuts evenly over the top, if desired.

Be careful not to over bake your brownies...better to under bake. Dry brownie = yucky.

They turned out pretty good. I'll bet adding some mini-chocolate chips would make them better, though. In the mean time, if you would rather have the convenience of a mix, here is the other recipe:

Red Velvet Brownies with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (from a mix)

1 box (18.4-19.5 oz) milk chocolate brownie mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; line a 9"X13" pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on each side of the pan.

Place the contents of the brownie mix in a large mixing bowl. in a separate, medium bowl, whisk the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar and food coloring until combined. Add the liquid mixture to the brownie mix and beat with a wooden spoon until combined.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the brownies using the parchment paper overhang. Cool completely before frosting.

About Me

My blog, The Dutch Baker's Daughter , was started in 2009 as a way to connect with others in the food community and to share my love of cooking and baking with home cooks on every level. While the title of my blog describes my heritage perfectly (as I am indeed the daughter of a Dutch baker), I was born and raised in the United States and my own recipe style is varied. I do share a handful of Dutch recipes, but I am first and foremost a competitive cook and baker, having placed in and/or won several recipe contests. My passion is to share these competitive adventures and the results are all over the board... desserts, breakfasts, dinners, appetizers, cocktails...nothing is off limits!

The Original Dutch Baker

My Heritage

On September 17, 1944, my father, Joost Stapelbroek, was delivering bread by bicycle in the Dutch countryside. He looked up in the sky and to his amazement, he saw the 101st Aireborne Division descending into his Nazi-occupied country to begin Operation Market-Garden and to begin the liberation of Holland. His admiration of those wonderful Screaming Eagles led to his love of all things American and ultimately to his decision to relocate his family to this fabulous country.